The Developmental Psychobiology Lab’s (DPB lab) research focuses on early life influences on development. During pregnancy and the early postnatal years, environmental factors are more likely to exert programming, or long-term, effects on the child’s development. Our lab’s research includes three lines: first, influences of prenatal maternal mental wellbeing on children’s health and behavioural development; second, development of the physiological stress system in children, and its relation to behavioural and emotional regulation and physical health. And third, the development of the intestinal microbiota and its relation to children’s health, behavioural and emotion regulation, and physiological stress system.


Latest news
  • KION & BRC: Sensitive care in childcare
    On April 13th the theme-event ‘Sensitive Care in Babies’ took place, an initiative of KION and the Baby & Child Research Center. About 100 people attended the event to learn more about this topic. What does science say? Carolina…
  • Our PEPO study in the news
    One in five pregnant women experiences anxiety, stress and/or depression during the perinatal period. Many of these feelings go unnoticed and therefore untreated. TROUW released an article on these feeling in the perinatal period. Here, Carolina elaborately explains the…
  • Carolina de Weerth interview by The Growing Facts Podcast
    The Growing Facts Podcast is a podcast that translates the science behind foetal development and helps you filter out all the weird advice floating out there that isn’t based on good evidence. Carolina de Weerth was interviewed by this…
  • Column ‘Opgevoed’ in NRC
    Carolina de Weerth responds to a parenting question for the column ‘Opgevoed’ in newspaper NRC. You can read the article below! To read it online: